Occupational health and safety news and guidance

Richard Chodkiewicz, 53, will require 24-hour care for the rest of his life after a scaffolding pole, being used as a makeshift plumb line, fell 15 storeys down a lift shaft and hit him in the head in July 2008.

The worker was injured whilst working on the Radisson Blu hotel site.

His employer, Hoistway Limited, has since pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the health and safety of an employee. Miller Construction, the main contractor on site, also pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that a person was not exposed to risks.

Magistrates said the two companies had failed in their duties "to a significant degree" and ordered the pair be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court.